COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

Revised Election Code TITLE I COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

ARTICLE 1 NATURE The Commission on Elections, hereafter referred to as the COMELEC, is the independent board under the supervision of the College Secretary that facilitates the elections of the College of Business Administration Student Council (BAC) and the University Student Council (USC) in the College of Business Administration, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. The COMELEC shall be composed of College of Business Administration students as selected by the incumbent Chairperson of the BAC and approved by the College Secretary and the incumbent BAC.

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ARTICLE 2

OBJECTIVES To conduct non-partisan, unbiased, fair and transparent elections To arbitrate and decide on issues on all matters related to the election of BAC members To set guidelines for candidates and ensure their compliance

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MEMBERSHIP The COMELEC shall be composed of one (1) Chairperson, one (1) Ex-Officio member, one (1) Secretary-General, one (1) Logistics Head, one (1) Publicity Head and their staff. The COMELEC Executive Committee is composed of the chairperson, the ex-officio member, the secretary general, the logistics and publicity heads. The COMELEC Chairperson shall be graduating the semester of the academic year of the elections the COMELEC is handling. The COMELEC Ex-Officio Member is the incumbent Chairperson of the BAC or any graduating BAC member as selected by the incumbent BAC. The staff of the COMELEC shall be students of the College of Business Administration who are not incumbent members of the BAC. The Chairperson, Ex-Officio member, Secretary-General, Logistics Head, Publicity Head, and the staff of the COMELEC are barred from applying for any BAC position in the academic year of the elections the COMELEC is handling.

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ARTICLE 4

DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF COMELEC OFFICERS The Chairperson shall: a) preside over all the COMELEC meetings b) direct the activities of the COMELEC The Ex-officio Member shall: a) not have veto-power in decision-making situations b) advise the executive committee on all matters pertaining to the elections c) initiate the recruitment of COMELEC heads and staff members

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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Section 3 The Secretary-General shall: a) coordinate with the College Secretary and the University Student Electoral Board (USEB) b) keep the minutes of the COMELEC meetings c) check if candidates complied with the requirements d) take charge of gathering necessary funds for the operations of the elections The Publicity Head shall: a) inform the students of the filing period and its requirements b) inform the students on the roles and positions of the BAC c) properly orient the candidates of the Election Code d) encourage wise voting through information campaigns and dissemination of candidates platforms The Logistics Head shall: a) organize a Convocation and Miting de Avance b) provide adequate polling booths during elections c) supervise the canvassing of votes d) make sure that the Election Code is strictly implemented

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TITLE II QUALIFICATION OF BAC MEMBERS

ARTICLE 1 MEMBERSHIP IN THE BAC Positions open in the BAC are the following: one (1) Chairperson, one (1) Vice-Chairperson, one (1) College Representative, eleven (11) Councilors, two (2) Terminal Representatives, two (2) Senior Representatives (1 BA and 1 BAA), two (2) Junior Representatives (1 BA AND 1 BAA), three (3) Sophomore Representatives, and three (3) duly-appointed Freshmen Representatives.

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ARTICLE 2

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR CANDIDATES OF ANY BAC POSITION The candidate/aspirant: a) must have a general weighted average (GWA) of 2.25 and above as of the first (1st) semester of the academic year (AY) in which he/she is filing his/her candidacy; b) must be, in good faith, a CBA student currently enrolled in a CBA degree and major as of the date of application; c) must not have had any disciplinary sanctions in the past, in compliance with the provisions of the CBA Student Handbook and the University Code of Conduct; and, d) must be of good moral character.

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ARTICLE 3

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR CANDIDATES OF ANY BAC POSITION A candidate must NOT have filed for any (elected) position in any UP-based organization at the time the application until the time the results are announced. All BAC members shall not be allowed to hold elected positions in any other UP-based organization. The BAC Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and College Representative shall not be allowed to hold any appointed position in any other UP-based organization. In the case of the College Representative, positions may be accepted only from the University Student Council.

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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Section 4 The candidate should run for a position that is in accordance with his/ her current academic standing, which in CBA, is based on the number of units completed and the subjects required to be taken, for the term of his/her candidacy. FOR THE CHAIRPERSON AND VICE

ARTICLE 4

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CHAIRPERSON

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Candidates for the BAC Chairperson must qualify under the provisions in Article 2 in order of priority; i.e., Article 2, subsection (b) will apply only if NO OTHER CANDIDATE qualifies under subsection (a). Therefore, if a particular candidate qualifies under, say, subsection (a), then all other candidates who do not qualify under subsection (a) will be disqualified. The candidate/ aspirant for Chairperson must have served at least one (1) full term as a BAC member. The candidate/aspirant for Vice Chairperson must have served at least one (1) full term as a member of the Executive Council or the BAC.

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ARTICLE 5

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVE (Based on the University Student Election Code Article 3, Section 1) To qualify for any of the UP Student Council positions, a candidate must possess/ satisfy the following qualifications: a) b) c) d) He/she must have at least one year residence in the University; He/she must be of good standing in his college; He/she must carry the normal load prescribed by his college; He/she must not have been found guilty in any disciplinary case of any act involving moral turpitude as defined in the Revised Penal Code.

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TITLE III NOMINATION OF THE CANDIDATES

ARTICLE 1 PERIOD OF NOMINATION Candidates shall be given a period prior to Campaign Period to submit their nomination to the COMELEC. The COMELEC will only accept the nomination until the date and time specified. If one or more positions still do not have any Candidates at the deadline, the COMELEC can extend the deadline but only for the position. No more additional nominations shall be accepted for positions with Candidates as of the deadline.

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ARTICLE 2

REQUIREMENTS OF NOMINATION Each Candidate must submit the following requirements for official Candidacy: a) an information sheet containing: a. complete name, b. name candidate prefers to be written on the ballot, c. current year level and course, d. position aspired for, e. listing of past positions held in organizations and the BAC, f. a two inch by two inch (2" x 2") picture b) a General Plan of Action that includes vision for the college and specific

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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programs and plans for the BAC; c) an additional sheet providing answers to the questions formulated by the COMELEC. d) a Certificate of Good Moral Character from the College Secretary e) a Certified True Copy of Grades as of the first semester of the academic year Candidate is filing for candidacy f) a Disciplinary Clearance from the Student Disciplinary Tribunal ARTICLE 3 ORIENTATION SEMINAR OF THE CANDIDATES The Candidates and the COMELEC will meet to discuss the Election Guidelines and the Election Code on the date and time to be set by the COMELEC. After the discussion, the Candidates and the COMELEC will sign a conforme that the Candidates have understood and will follow the Election Guidelines and the Election Code. Any Candidate, without just cause, who does not attend the meeting, will be ineligible to run.

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ARTICLE 4

WITHDRAWAL OF CANDIDACY Candidates shall be given the option to withdraw their candidacy without question anytime.

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ARTICLE 5

POSTING OF CANDIDACY The COMELEC will post the Official List of Candidates and copies of Candidates' General Plans of Action at bulletin boards in the college.

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TITLE IV CAMPAIGN PERIOD

ARTICLE 1 DURATION The Campaign Period will officially start and end at the date and time specified by the COMELEC.

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ARTICLE 2

ALLOWABLE CAMPAIGN MATERIALS This Code shall only permit the following items as Allowable Campaign Materials: Posters, Teasers and Campaign Pins. Specifications of Allowable Campaign Materials are as follows: a) Posters - Each Candidate is limited to having one (1) poster for the duration of the Campaign Period. The poster cannot be replaced with a poster of a new design. The poster cannot be made through commercial means i.e. hiring the services of a professional publishing company. The size is that of a 13x19 inch poster. b) Teasers - Each Candidate is limited to having fifteen (15) teasers for the duration of the Campaign Period. The teasers cannot be replaced with teasers of a new design. The teasers cannot be made through commercial means i.e. hiring the services of a professional publishing company. The size is limited to eight and a half inches by eleven inches (8.5" x 11 ") or that of a short-sized bond paper. c) Campaign Pins - Each Candidate is not limited to any number of pins for the duration of the Campaign Period. The pins must not be made through commercial means. The size is limited to two and a half inches by two and a half inches (2.5" x 2.5"). Use of safety pins for the campaign pins is

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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encouraged. Posting campaign pins are not allowed on bulletin boards, and other property of the college. Section 2 Posters and teasers must be registered first with the COMELEC and the office of the College Secretary of the College of Business Administration at dates and times specified by the COMELEC. Candidates are not allowed to campaign for other candidates. Candidates may not wear campaign pins of another Candidate, regardless of whether the other Candidate is a Candidate for another position. COMELEC members are not allowed to campaign in any form for any Candidate. Candidates may only post registered and approved teasers and posters at bulletin boards designated by COMELEC. Posters and Teasers by candidate sponsor organizations and endorsers will be counted within the limits provided in Section 1 of this Article. Election tokens, fliers and other printed campaign materials aside from the ones stipulated in Article 2, Section 1 are not allowed. Telephone-oriented and electronic campaigning for the duration of the Campaign Period are allowed. The COMELEC reserves the right to create and enforce rules on such forms of campaigning. Violation of this Article shall be punishable through penalties provided in Article 6, Section 3 of this Title.

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ARTICLE 3

ROOM-TO-ROOM CAMPAIGNS Candidates are allowed to hold room-to-room campaigns with the following guidelines: a) Come in smart casual attire. b) Wear a four inches by eleven inches (4" x 11") nameplate with the position aspired for. c) Ask permission from the teacher to campaign d) Campaign shall take 2 minutes per room, unless teacher allows more time. e) Always state the name to be included in the ballot f) Always announce the dates, time and venue of the convocation, miting de avance, and the elections Candidates are not allowed to introduce, refer to and campaign for other candidates during room-to-room campaigns.

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ARTICLE 4

CAMPAIGN SILENCE Campaign Silence is declared at the Last Day of the Campaign Period at the time specified by the COMELEC. At this point, all Allowable Campaign Materials must be disposed of and hidden from public view. No campaigning will be allowed during Campaign Silence. Violation of this section shall be punishable through penalties provided in Article 7, Section 3 (c) of this Title.

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ARTICLE 5

MITING DE AVANCE

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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Section 1 An assembly is called wherein the Candidates will be presented to deliver a speech to the students of the college. All Candidates must be in business attire. Each candidate will be given time, to be specified by the COMELEC, to deliver his/her speech. No extension shall be provided.

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ARTICLE 6

CONVOCATIONS A college assembly is called wherein the Candidates will be presented to answer the questions from the students regarding their candidacies. All Candidates must be in business attire. Anyone from the college assembly shall have a chance to ask their questions screened by the COMELEC.

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ARTICLE 7

ACTS PROHIBITED DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND PENALTIES Throughout the Campaign Period, Offensive Remarks made by a Candidate or his/her supporters addressed to or referring to another person, whether directly or indirectly, or whether the person being addressed is a Candidate or not, shall be prohibited. Violation of this Section shall be punishable through penalties provided in Section 3 Throughout the Campaign Period, using the name of other Candidates and incumbent Council members by a Candidate or his/ her supporters in any context whatsoever shall be prohibited. Violation of this Section shall be punishable through penalties provided in Section 3. The COMELEC Executive Committee shall review all cases where a Candidate is accused of violating any provision of this Code. A unanimous vote of the COMELEC Executive Committee is needed to adjudge the accused candidate as guilty. Upon unanimous vote of the COMELEC Executive Committee, the Candidate shall be subject to the following penalties: a) First Offense. Banning the candidate to campaign by the removal of all Allowable Campaign Materials of the Candidate and disallowing any telephone-oriented and electronic campaigning. The Candidate should not post new Allowable Campaign Materials. b) Second Offense. Removal of the Candidate's privilege to speak at the Miting de Avance. This penalty is used immediately Article 7, Sections 1 and 2 of this Article are violated. c) Third Offense. Declaration of the Candidate as a Nuisance Candidate and disqualifying him/ her from said Election Season. The COMELEC may also impose other penalties for other violations not covered in this Code upon the majority vote of the COMELEC.

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The COMELEC may also impose other penalties for other violations not covered in this Code upon the unanimous vote of the COMELEC Executive Committee.

TITLE V CASTING OF THE VOTES

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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ARTICLE 1 DURATION Voting shall take place within the time specified by the COMELEC.

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QUALIFIED VOTERS All College of Business Administrations students under the courses of Business Administration (BA), Business Administration and Accountancy (BAA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Finance (MSFin), and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and nonmajor students who were previously enrolled under the abovementioned courses and have not yet transferred to another college are qualified to vote. A validated U.P. ID or form 5 should be presented upon voting.

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VOTING PROCESS The voting process shall be facilitated by the CRS Online software program and shall record and tally all votes from eligible voters within the UP College of Business Administration. a) Check if the name of student is in the student master list provided by the College Secretary's office. b) The student is given his/her USER NAME, PASSWORD, and PIN then signs on the list of qualified voters upon receipt. c) Student chooses the Candidate of choice by clicking on the option button on the left side of the Candidate's name in the screen. The student can also opt to vote for Abstain if he/she does not want the choices presented. d) The student must confirm his/her votes before exiting the system. After confirmation, the student may no longer change his/her votes. e) A COMELEC member must be present at all times to assist the voter in use of the system.

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ARTICLE 4

VALIDITY OF THE BALLOTS The COMELEC Executive Committee shall decide upon ballots incompletely filled and containing other marks not specifically provided for in this Section. Rules to decide on validity of USC ballots set by the COMELEC shall not supersede rules of the University Student Electoral Board (USEB).

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ARTICLE 5

VICINITY RESTRICTIONS Candidates are not allowed to be in the immediate vicinity set for voting by the COMELEC, unless the Candidates will cast their votes. Failure to comply after a third warning shall be deemed equivalent to and punishable through penalties provided in Title IV, Article 7, and Section 3 (c), Third Offense.

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TITLE VI COUNTING OF THE VOTES

ARTICLE 1 TIME OF COUNTING At the end of the Voting Period, the Ballot boxes shall be brought to rooms in the College of Business Administration specified by the COMELEC, from herein designated as the counting areas.

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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Section 2 The ballot boxes can be opened and votes can be counted only with the presence of all the COMELEC members and Candidates' watchers. No other person may be allowed to enter the counting area.

ARTICLE 2

COUNTING OF BALLOTS (based on the University Student Election Code Article X, Section 1) Immediately after the close of voting and before the counting of ballots, the members of the College Student Electoral Board shall note down the number of actual votes as shown in the Official Voter's List. They shall then open the ballot boxes and count the ballots, taking note of any discrepancy between the number of students who voted, members of the College Student Electoral Board shall remove, at random, and without unfolding them or seeing their contents, such number of ballots as correspond to the excess so that the number of actual voters, the same shall be noted but there shall be no deduction from or addition to the ballots in the ballot box.

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ARTICLE 3

WATCHERS Candidates are allowed to have their own watchers, approved by the COMELEC, as their agents in the counting area. Candidates can choose their watchers, provided that they are not members of COMELEC. Candidates are limited to one watcher each. No watcher can represent more than two Candidates. Watchers have the right to see the ballots being counted for verification.

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ARTICLE 4

SINGLE CANDIDATE RULE If there is only one candidate running for a position (except for the councilor position), he/she must get two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast. All candidates for the eleven councilor positions must have acquired fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of the total votes cast to be elected as BAC councilor. If the candidate does not meet this requirement, a reelection will be held on the day set by the COMELEC. The COMELEC will again open the position for nominations, subject to Title III. The submission for the nomination shall be within the time specified by the COMELEC. The COMELEC will post the new Candidates and their General Plans of Action at the bulletin boards of the college. If the BA College Administration does not allow the re-election due to the lack of resources, COMELEC may opt to leave the responsibility of determining the remaining vacant positions to the newly elected Business Administration Council, as stated in Article IX, Section 3 of the BAC Constitution.

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ARTICLE 5

PLURALITY RULE For Candidates with competitors for the same position, the plurality rule shall only apply if the total number of votes for all the candidates shall not be less than two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast. Should this requirement not be met, no winner shall be declared and a reelection shall be held.

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ARTICLE 6

TIE If there is a tie between candidates for a BAC position, the candidates will undergo a reelection proceeding to be held on the day set by the COMELEC.

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ARTICLE 7

FAILURE OF ELECTIONS

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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Section 1 A failure of elections shall be declared by the COMELEC if the number of votes cast does not reach 50%+1 of the CBA Student Population. In such an event, reelection will be held.

ARTICLE 8

ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS Tally of votes and the official winners will be released the day after Election Day

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ARTICLE 9

REPORT AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL After the votes have been counted in the college/unit, the results of the UP Student Council elections shall be embodied in a report certified to by all the members of the College Student Electoral Board containing the following: a) the names of the candidates; b) the number of votes received by each; c) any question raised together with the decision reached by the College Student Electoral Board.

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TITLE VII PROTESTS AND REQUESTS

ARTICLE 1 LETTER OF PROTEST Protests against the COMELEC rulings shall be addressed to the College Secretary in a formal letter. The reasons and the suggested remedy for the matter at hand should be narrated in the letter of protest.

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ARTICLE 2

REQUEST FOR RECOUNT A candidate or his/her watcher may request for a recount of ballots under either of the following conditions: a) There have been irregularities during the counting of ballots; b) There is a tie between candidates.

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TITLE VIII FUNDS AND PARAPHERNALIA

ARTICLE 1 PROVISION FOR FINANCES The Business Administration Council shall provide necessary funding upon the recommendation of the Secretary General. The Office of the College Secretary shall assist in generating such funds or paraphernalia necessary for the elections.

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TITLE IX SYSTEM FAILURE

ARTICLE 1 VOTING PROCESS In the event of system or electrical failure, COMELEC shall conduct a manual election process to continue the voting procedure. The following rules shall apply in the voting process: a) Check if the name of student is in the student master list provided by the College Secretary's office.

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

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b) The student is given his/her ballot, then signs on the list of qualified voters upon receipt of the ballot. c) Student chooses the Candidate of choice by placing a check or a cross mark on the left side of the Candidate's name. The student can also opt to vote for Abstain if he/she does not want the choices d) A student who made mistakes in casting his/her vote should countersign all erasures. Failure to countersign will render vote void for that position. e) The member then folds the ballot and drops the ballot in the ballot box. A member of the COMELEC shall make a simultaneous tally on the ballot box each time a member casts his vote. ARTICLE 2 VALIDITY OF BALLOTS The COMELEC Executive Committee shall decide upon ballots incompletely filled and containing other marks not specifically provided for in this Section. Rules to decide on validity of USC ballots set by the COMELEC shall not supersede rules of the University Student Electoral Board (USEB).

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ARTICLE 3

VICINITY RESTRICTIONS The rules on vicinity restrictions set forth in Title V, Article 5, Section 1 of this code shall apply.

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TITLE X AMENDMENTS TO THIS CODE

ARTICLE 1 PROCESS OF AMENDMENT Any amendment to this Code can only be presented by a member of the COMELEC. Any proposed Amendments to be implemented as an Election Ruling must be approved by the majority vote of the members of the COMELEC. An Amendment can only be presented and enacted during the regular session of the COMELEC.

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TITLE XI EFFECTIVITY
ARTICLE 1 RULES ON EFFECTIVITY Any ruling that is in conflict with this Code shall be repealed or modified accordingly. This Code shall take effect immediately upon the ratification of all the members of the COMELEC in session.

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